California man dies in surf off Kapalua

By Walter Wright
Advertiser Staff Writer

A 30-year-old visitor from La Crescencia, Calif., was killed yesterday when he fell into high surf off the Ritz-Carlton resort in Kapalua, Maui, fire officials said.

The man, whose name was not released, was walking along the rocky shore area with two brothers when he was either hit by a wave or slipped and lost his footing and plunged into the water, said Assistant Fire Chief Gordon Cordeiro.

The Fire Department, which received the call at 12:55 p.m., sent two engines and launched its Air One helicopter, whose crew spotted a man floating in the surf at about 1:35 p.m.

Lifeguards on jet-powered watercraft were not able to approach the area because of difficulty operating in the white water, and the Fire Department was unable to put divers in the water. Rescuers were only able to retrieve the body when a wave washed it onto a ledge, Cordeiro said.

On O'ahu yesterday, a jet-powered watercraft toppled off a 15-foot wave in the "Alligators" surf break area on the North Shore, but the operator was unhurt, lifeguards said.

Six other rescues were conducted yesterday, none of them involving injuries, North Shore Water Safety Capt. Bodo Van Der Leeden said.

"Our own Jet Ski operator, Guy Pere, said he was surprised that no one was hurt, although the other operator took a good beating up by the waves," Van Der Leeden said.

Surf reached the 20-foot range overnight, washing over roadways in some areas, and organizers of the Pipeline Masters surfing contest canceled competitions set for yesterday because of wave conditions.

The National Weather Service had issued a high surf warning on Saturday for the northwest shores of O'ahu, Maui, Kaua'i, Moloka'i and Lana'i.

Jeff Powell, the weather service's lead forecaster in Hawai'i, said the surf is the result of a storm northwest of here several days ago. It is expected to diminish today, he said.

Reach Walter Wright at 525-8054 or at wwright@honoluluadvertiser.com.